Why is this news?: Welcome to the Big Ten, Maryland and Rutgers

"The Big Ten just isn't that good. You've heard about this, right?...How does any of this impact Maryland and Rutgers, expected by many to finish 6-7 in the Big Ten East Division? It means no conference foe is unbeatable. It means there's hope."

- Mitch Sherman, ESPN.com

Today marks the first official day that the Terps and Scarlet Knights are our conference mates. Maybe it's all the fanfare and D.C. pics, (or the updated BTN page, or the slew of blog posts) but I'm more excited for it than I expected. I think I'm kind of a believer about Maryland's long term chances in the Big Ten; I honestly think the move will turn out well for the fighting turtles.

As for Rutgers? Well, I hope Delany get the T.V. money he's hoping for.

To help you revel in all the fanfare, the internet has really produced some solid content today. First, Tom Dienhart at the BTN looks back at the last three periods of Big Ten expansion. His parallels between Penn State and Maryland/Rutgers are kind of interesting (i.e. eastern land grant universities), but the difference in history and athletic prowess between Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers is pretty big. SBN's Corn Nation interviews the new guys, Testudo Times, about what to expect from the Terps. And check out Testudo Times if you haven't already - they're a killer blog for any college sports fan. Not only that, but they're definitely excited about the move, too! Of course, be sure to also welcome Rutgers' SBN blog, On the Banks, as well.

"Many college football and men's basketball players who appeared in various versions of NCAA-themed video games will be able to receive as much as $20,000 apiece under the terms of a proposed settlement filed Monday."

- Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY

Open up those wallets, student athletes, because you might be getting close to pay day. Though the $20 million Keller deal was announced three weeks ago, yesterday's filing with your favorite U.S. District Judge, Claudia Wilken, also had details of the proposed $40 million settlement against EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Co.

These are secondary settlements to the NCAA O'Bannon suit, but significant nonetheless for student athletes. There's a long way to go for current men's basketball and football players, but this proposed settlement would be huge.

"According to the source, Winston is the first returning Heisman Trophy winner since former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford to purchase preseason loss of value coverage, though other returning winners have purchased "total permanent disability" coverage during that time frame."

- Rand Getlin, Yahoo! Sports

Today I learned that there is more than one type of insurance that collegiate athletes can buy to protect themselves from injury before their potential NFL careers: the more common total permanent disability insurance, and the less common preseason loss of value coverage.

What's insane is how expensive those policies can be - $55,000! I suppose it's not as much of a risk if either way the athlete (and his family) will get millions in as little as a year.

As Getlin notes, this makes Winston-to-the-NFL all the more likely, despite his family's desire for him to get his degree first. If Winston were to declare for the draft, he'd be in a fairly stacked QB class, with Braxton, Brett Hundley, and Marcus Mariota.

"The student demand was strong and we reacted by not ending the sale at the set allotment."

- Brett Scarbrough, Ohio State assistant athletic director for ticketing and premium seating

Ohio State will have an extra 2,500 extra seats available for this season starting July 11, according to a relase by OSU today. Those seats will be a cool $79.

The release notes that Ohio State student demand for full-season packages has risen throughout the Urban era, with a 13% increase over last year's 26,304 season packages sold. That's despite a decline in overall attendance across the country, as students and fans alike increasingly enjoy games from home.

STICK TO SPORTS

• This is technically about sports, but it's much more about tattoos. And Michigan. And Michigan Men.
• Awesome predictions for 2025 based on current research trends and patents.
• Go ahead and buy your (insanely expensive) tickets now, folks.
• Or, in other expensive things, buy yourself a whole town.